St. John's @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 17, 2011 ) Arizona 81, St. John's 72

No. 17 Arizona looks to bounce back from its second setback of the season when it faces streaking St. John's on Saturday at the Al Attles Classic in San Francisco. The Wildcats suffered an 84-80 loss to now-No. 2 Gonzaga last Saturday and should receive another test from the Red Storm, who have recorded six straight victories.

Arizona won its first nine games but has hit a bumpy stretch with two losses in three games heading into the neutral-court affair at the brand-new Chase Center. The 84 points allowed to Gonzaga represents the second-most the Wildcats have given up as they have been solid defensively by limiting opponents to 64.9 points and 37.6 percent shooting from the field. St. John's rolled to an 85-57 victory over Albany in its last outing as it forced 24 turnovers and held a 47-30 rebounding edge. Senior guard Mustapha Heron, who ranks second on the team with a 15-point scoring average, missed the Albany game with an ankle injury and is questionable for Saturday's contest.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT ST. JOHN'S (10-2): The Red Storm have quickened their pace under first-year coach Mike Anderson and have topped 80 points six times while averaging 80.6 points per game. "I like it because we can just get after it," St. John's sophomore guard Greg Williams Jr. said of the pace after the win over Albany. "I feel like when we all come together and play hard like that it just makes everything fun. We're going up and getting loose balls, getting steals and just communicating with each other without saying anything." Junior guard LJ Figueroa leads the squad in scoring (15.1), 3-pointers (27) and steals (24).

ABOUT ARIZONA (10-2): Freshman point guard Nico Mannion had a forgettable 3-of-20 shooting effort in the loss to Gonzaga while recording seven points and 10 assists. "He definitely had an off night," Wildcats coach Sean Miller told reporters of Mannion. "I know this just because I watch closely - he had a lot of shots that he's gonna make and has already made. They didn't go down." Mannion ranks second on the squad in scoring at 14.3 - freshman power forward Zeke Nnaji leads at 15.9 - and is the team leader in assists (6.5).

TIP-INS

1. Arizona won the lone previous meeting, 81-72 on Nov. 17, 2011.

2. Nnaji recorded 16 points and a season-high 17 rebounds against Gonzaga for his third double-double of the season.

3. The Red Storm are averaging 10 steals per game.

PREDICTION: Arizona 82, St. John's 76